This invention relates to electronic display devices, and more particularly to a portable interactive electronic prayer counter that displays the current and/or next prayer count based on sensed movements by a user during Islamic prayer rituals.
Throughout the world, Muslims are required to offer ritual prayers five times per day. The morning prayer known as “Fajr” can be performed any time between the breaking of the dawn till just before sunrise. The noon prayer known as “Zuhr” can be performed any time after the sun declines from its zenith until about mid-afternoon. The afternoon prayer known as “Asr” can be performed any time soon after the Zuhr prayer time ends until just before sunset. The evening prayer known as “Maghrib” can be performed any time just after sunset to an hour and a half after sunset. The night prayer known as “Isha” can be performed any time shortly after the Maghrib prayer time ends until dawn.
Each ritual prayer includes a plurality of cycles or “Rakat.” Each Rakah requires a person to assume a specific sequence of movements including: “Iqama” wherein the person stands in an upright position facing the Kaba or Mecca; “Ruk'u” wherein the person bows with a straight back and hands on knees; “Qauma” wherein the person rises from the bending position to a standing position with arms at the side; first “Sudjood” wherein the person assumes a prostrate position with the feet, knees, palms of both hands, forehead and tip of the nose touching the clean ground; “Qu'ud” wherein the person rises to a sitting position with head bowed; second “Sudjood” wherein the person again assumes the prostrate position; and then again to the “Iqama” position to begin a new cycle or Rakah. During the Rakah, the person recites specific passages of the Quran and may offer additional words of a more personal nature.
Since the person must repeat the Rakah a plurality of times, and further since the person recites passages from the Quran, it sometimes becomes difficult for the person to remember which Rakah is being performed. Once forgotten, the person must go back and perform additional Rakah to ensure that at least the proper number has been performed.
In order to overcome this problem, UK Patent Application No. GB 2,263,003 to Khatri and U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,822 to Faouaz have proposed prayer mats with a built-in switch and display for indicating which Rakah is being performed. Such devices require the user to place his or her forehead directly on the switch in order to advance the Rakah count on the display. However, such devices may be distracting to a user since focus must be diverted from the ritual prayer being performed to the particular placement of the forehead on the mat.
In addition, the prayer mats of such devices are unwieldy and difficult to carry when traveling from one place to another, especially when the user must perform ritual prayers at different places during the day, such as at home, work, school, and so on. Since many users already have prayer mats, there is little desirability in purchasing an additional prayer mat solely to keep track of the number of Rakat being performed.
It would therefore be desirous to provide an Islamic prayer counter that may readily fit into a pocket or otherwise be carried by a user in a non-obtrusive manner for transportation between ritual prayer times. It would be further desirous to provide an Islamic prayer counter that eliminates the need to precisely position the forehead on the switch in order to advance the Rakah count.